My Life as a Reader
by lilangellinh
Summary: Oneshot. Kagome is annoyed by an English assignment, but she completes it anyways. After reflecting on what she had written, she comes to some interesting revelations. AU


**I got bored and was looking through my assignments from freshman year. I saw this and wondered if I could make a story out of it. So I just started typing and this is what I got. **

**So, please enjoy just reading this, butif you could tell me what you think, I'd appreciate it. Thank you **

**Disclaimer: nope, Inuyasha is not mine.**

The raven-haired girl leaned back in her seat with a sigh. She hated writing about herself for school. It was so…pointless and she never could think of anything interesting. So she usually made things up.

With a final sigh, Kagome Higurashi began typing. Surprisingly, once she started, she found it very easy to continue. Most likely because the topic was near and dear to her heart. Blissfully, she completed her last sentence, returning to the top of the paper to add a title.

On her screen read:

My Life as a Reader

There are many reasons why a person reads. It may be because he/she was forced into reading by parents or teachers. Many people read to entertain themselves. Others read to gain knowledge or as a way to pass the time. The reason a person reads changes with each book. As for myself, my reasons for reading are as diverse as the books I read.

Reading has always been one of my passions. I love to read just for the sake of saying I am reading. Reading passes my time productively, entertains me and I learn about a variety of subjects. In the past, I have also read because it came as a challenge. The challenges tended to be about who could finish and understand a book first or who read the most. Contests are highly motivating factors to get me to read. Sometimes, I read because a teacher requires it. Past all the outside influences, my main reason for reading is because I want to read.

I began my love for reading in the first grade. I had learned how to read, although not very well, in kindergarten. English was my second language, so it took me slightly longer to learn than other students. My motivating factor to read at that time was to impress my teacher and fellow classmates. I figured that if I could read at the higher level, my classmates would consider me smart. My family had ingrained the notion of being smart as a positive into my head and I did my best to accomplish that goal. As the years passed, my love for books grew as my comprehension and English skills grew.

To support my love of books, I try to read everyday. During weeks where I have very little to do, I tend to read a book a day. At school, I read in class when I've finished all my class work. At home, I read after I finish my homework. I'm not a picky reader, but I do have favorites. I gravitate more towards fantasy and contemporary novels. Historical fiction, and thrillers aren't far behind. I also have favorites among other genres. I have too many favorite books to name, but some of my favorite authors are Donna Jo Napoli, David and Leigh Eddings, Sara Douglass, Isabel Allende, Juliet Marillier, Laurell K. Hamilton, Dan Brown and Garth Nix.

This term, I have a few goals I would like to accomplish as a reader. First, I hope I can become and even better reader this year by having a better comprehension and vocabulary. Often times, I come across words that I don't know the definition of and it irritates me. I haven't been compelled to consult a dictionary yet, mainly because I can't find mine. For this, I'm assuming learning roots of words will help with my comprehension and vocabulary. Another thing I want to work on is speed. During weekdays, I can be pressed for time and would like to read and understand as much as possible in the time I have. My only solution to this goal is to continue reading everyday.

In conclusion, I am a major bibliophile.

Yes, she knew she was a bookworm and couldn't care less what anyone else thought. She knew all the kids at school thought she was a freak, someone who loved school. If only they knew how much she hated it all. How she longed to break away from the "She's a nerd because she likes to read, which means she MUST like school." Walking through the halls, she was constantly pegged with "What a teacher's pet. Little Miss Perfect thinks she's too good for the rest of us."

Kagome wouldn't lie; it had hurt at the beginning. There was a time when she had wanted to fight back, to yell, "Don't judge me if you don't know me!" She had longed to shout, "I HATE school!" But, each time the desire surfaced, she backed away, her shyness preventing her from expressing herself. And so her reputation as a goody two shoes remained, unchallenged, mocking her with the irony of it all.

Which left her the only way to express herself, to release all the pent up frustration and pain of the past two years of high school.

Reaching under her desk, she removed the hidden journal with a slight yank, feeling the magnet's pull resisting her. Choosing a soft blue pen, Kagome poured all her thoughts out into her journal.

_Today, the teacher assigned us a very stupid essay. I mean, not that I don't love reading, I do. I just find it ridiculous that we have to explain the reason for us reading. Isn't it enough that we read?_

_But, this topic has had me thinking. I just read my essay over again, and it seems fine to me. Still, I realized that although all I said is true, I didn't tell the truth either. The whole truth I mean._

_Why do I read? Is it because I want to escape from this world that doesn't understand me? Probably. Is it because then I don't have to think of anything besides the world I'm reading about? Most likely. Or maybe I get to finally be strong, pretty, compassionate, everything the heroes and heroines are that I'm not. Of course. _

_What girl hasn't dreamed of being someone else? To have their life laid out the way it is in a book, with a conflict that gets resolved, the good guys happy and the bad guys punished? To live like a princess, her Prince Charming only a chapter away to rescue her from the villains?_

_I know that real life doesn't work like that, but no matter how many times I tell myself and will myself to believe and accept, there's always that little part of me that thinks, maybe, just maybe it'll happen to me. After all, someone had come up with the idea in the first place, so it is possible, right?_

_It's odd how one simple, tedious assignment has gotten me thinking like this. Within the span of an hour, I've learned more about myself than I would have in a week. I realize now that a major motive of mine to reading is the romance. I want to feel love, experience it, all the pain, happiness and sweetness that come with it. I want to be loved, truly, madly, deeply loved. _

_I want a man to come in and sweep me off my feet, wielding flowers and candy. Someone funny and witty, not afraid to show his love for me. A person I can tease and tease me back, laughing the whole time. Someone who will comfort me, someone who makes me smile just by hearing his voice. I want my soul mate._

_Sadly, I know that will never happen, but a girl can always dream. Besides, isn't that how we all survive? We have our dreams and we spend our efforts to fulfill them. When we fail, we simply vow to work harder or adjust them, mold them to fit the current situation._

_For now, all I can do is wait and dream. _

Head tilted, sucking slightly on the pen, Kagome stared dreamily at her words without really reading what she had written. She still wasn't quite sure what it all meant, her thoughts. But she knew that someone, writing it had changed her.

She had addressed something within that had prevented her from asserting herself. The little something that with only one more step to go, pushed her back, rough and quick.

Tomorrow, tomorrow would be the day that she took charge of her life. Kagome had always told herself she didn't care what others thought, but she knew now that her fear of other's opinions was exactly what stopped her. And she would prove to the school, to the world that Kagome Higurashi could not be labeled and filed under a label. She was not just the goody two shoes. No, she was Kagome Higurashi, with as many sides to her as humans in the world.

She couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to find her Prince Charming as well.

A soft plop broke her reverie and she realized she was crying. And to think, it all began with a stupid assignment she didn't even want to do.


End file.
